Uniondale, NY - October 22, 2014 - Teams from the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry, as well as students interested in the field, are gearing up to compete at Canstruction® Long Island, Inc.’s 2014 design/build competition taking place October 23 to help fight hunger on Long Island. The organization raises awareness and fills the shelves of local food banks through this annual event comprised of sculptures made entirely of non-perishable cans of food.

“Canstruction® Long Island’s Design/Build Competition is a multi-faceted way for Long Islanders to help each other,” said Tracy Lobdell, Executive Director, Canstruction® Long Island, Inc. “It’s a creative way for the A/E/C industry to give back to Long Island in the form of both fighting hunger and giving students a first-hand experience to learn more about career prospects in the industry. All of this while creating some beautiful sculptures that will feed hundreds of hungry families.”

The event takes place at RXR Plaza in Uniondale, NY. Teams have just 12 hours to build their structures on October 22. The Awards Ceremony takes place on October 23, at which time a panel of Jurors will review the structures and determine winners in the following categories; “Structural Ingenuity”, “Best Use of Labels”, “Beat Meal”, “Juror’s Favorite” and “Honorable Mention”. There is also an award for the structure using the “Most Cans”.

This year’s Jurors include Martin DePasquale, AIA, Vice President of Preconstruction Services at TRITEC Real Estate Company, Marc Herbst, Executive Director of the Long Island Contractor’s Association, and Philip Berdolt, Deputy Commissioner, Suffolk County Department of Public Works. Paul Anthony, Comedian and Founder of the Long Island Comedy Festival and General Sales Manager at WALK Radio 97.5 FM will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the event again this year.

The exhibit is open to the public from October 24 thru November 5 from 8 am to 6 pm Admission to the exhibit is a canned food donation(s). Visitors' donations determine the People's Choice Winner for the competition. For the entire duration of the exhibit, collection bins will be located next to each structure - visitors vote for their favorite structure by placing their food donation in the bin next to their favorite structure. The structure with the most donations in its bin wins "People's Choice."

Since 2007, Canstruction® Long Island has held its annual competition where teams of design and construction professionals, college students and middle and high school students led by architects and engineers, showcase their talent and creativity by creating giant, self-supporting structures out of cans of non-perishable food. Student Teams are mentored by professionals in the architecture, engineering, design and construction fields, which provides the younger students with exposure to these potential career fields at an early age, and gives the older students an opportunity to develop relationships with professionals that they can possibly intern or interview with in the future.

For more information about Canstruction® Long Island, please visit the website.